The telephone rang on Christmas Eve, as Nik Lentz was headed to a friend's home for a holiday party. He saw the phone number of his manager, Monte Cox, appear on his caller ID.

Lentz, a UFC fighter, wasn't expecting to hear from Cox. When he saw who it was, he briefly wondered why he'd be getting a call from Cox on Christmas Eve.

Perhaps, he thought, Cox was calling with holiday wishes. Or, he surmised, Cox had a fight offer to present that might have been good news.

Lentz answered and Cox's familiar voice came on the line.

But this was not a pleasant call, definitely one that Cox did not want to make.

Cox told Lentz he'd been talking to UFC officials, and they weren't happy with Lentz's fighting.

Two weeks earlier, Lentz had lost a bout to Mark Bocek at UFC 140 in Toronto. About 14 months before that, Lentz defeated Andre Winner in a fight that UFC president Dana White didn't find too compelling.

White, as is his style, held back no punches. He blasted Lentz and Winner for putting on what he believed was a horrible fight. The fans picked up on it and began ripping Lentz. The level of hatred and animosity directed toward him was, he said, utterly shocking.

But nothing was as shocking as the news Cox was to deliver. After eight UFC fights, the UFC had seen enough.